Hi everyone, I have began to study Nitrous since I read an article on Reher Morrison's website blog that sparked my interest to go further. I do remember it saying there is no literal burning of the product, but is activated by the combustion heat at a certain temperature and releases the extra oxygen to further burn the still present fuel in the chamber. Could any people with experience with Nitrous oxide help me along here on what makes this stuff tick?

Thanks!

Jim "Iron Giant" Fahlin ~ A high performance car is like a guitar, you have to tune it to achieve your best operation and pull ahead of the competition.

Well thus far it seems to be a simple liquid product (Liquid Nitrous Oxide for internal combustion engines has Sulfur Dioxide added) in itself that aids in producing power from being under compression in a bottle. Once released, evaporation and expansion takes place. What wiki has written, mentioning about the evaporation and expansion, is, the air charge becomes denser because of an apparent drop in induction charge temperature (has anyone tested to see what level of a temp drop takes place? hmmm).

Wouldn't this (evaporation & expansion of a non flammble liquid @ low pressures & temps apparently) be hindering the early combustion-process' power production until the temperature (whatever it may be) needed is reached to release the oxygen molecules that provide the big boost in power from the 'shot' of Nitrous?

I am thinking the Nitrous has to take up some space in the chamber

Jim "Iron Giant" Fahlin ~ A high performance car is like a guitar, you have to tune it to achieve your best operation and pull ahead of the competition.

In general of building and adjusting an engine built specifically for Nitrous use, are we talking a great deal of changes from a normal gasoline-alone fueled engine. Sure the timing needs adjustment, but, is there something taken into more than the usual caution than other aspects?

Jim "Iron Giant" Fahlin ~ A high performance car is like a guitar, you have to tune it to achieve your best operation and pull ahead of the competition.

Fahlin Racing wrote:In general of building and adjusting an engine built specifically for Nitrous use, are we talking a great deal of changes from a normal gasoline-alone fueled engine. Sure the timing needs adjustment, but, is there something taken into more than the usual caution than other aspects?

How you build an engine to use N2O depends on how much N2O you want to use. A stock engine with a small shot of N2O will work fine, but put a 500 hp kit on that engine and it won't last long.

N2O is 30% O and air is about 20% O, and yes the chemical bond of the N2O is broke down with temp releasing the O to be used for combustion. Just like a cutting torch if you heat the metal then add a jet of pure O it cuts right through the metal. The same thing will happen in your engine if additional fuel is not added when using N2O.

If N2O hindered combustion in the early stages then you would add timing not take it out. And yes anything that is injected in the engine takes up space somewhere.

N2O has a steep learning curve if you jump in without a little knowledge and it's a ever learning process after that.

Google books on it and study all you can then get a small kit and have fun.

Thanks Drill. So even with the space it uses in the combustion chamber doesn't take any oxidation quality or burning rate away prior to the release of those oxygen molecules. I remember seeing an oxide system injection point (you could call it I suppose) directly below the carburetor in a magazine article.

Is there a specific place the oxide system should be placed when building one of these engines in relation to the fuel injection or carb location?

Jim "Iron Giant" Fahlin ~ A high performance car is like a guitar, you have to tune it to achieve your best operation and pull ahead of the competition.

Fahlin Racing wrote:Thanks Drill. So even with the space it uses in the combustion chamber doesn't take any oxidation quality or burning rate away prior to the release of those oxygen molecules. I remember seeing an oxide system injection point (you could call it I suppose) directly below the carburetor in a magazine article.

Is there a specific place the oxide system should be placed when building one of these engines in relation to the fuel injection or carb location?

You can introduce the N2O injection where ever you like before the intake valve, where it works best is another question.

I think you need to invest in a couple of those books, they will make a lot of this stuff very clear.

Do you know that air is mostly nitrogen as is N2O, and that compression heats up the intake charge? I would also figure that as the N2O releases the O that it would cause some type of turbulence helping with the combustion rate.

Yes, I am well aware of compression heating the air within the chamber and the air we breathe is most nitrogen. When you mentioned turbulence possibly on release of the oxygen assisting the burning rate, to say the least, got the brain thinking! Perhaps too deep for this thread. I will check out prices on books in the near future.

Jim "Iron Giant" Fahlin ~ A high performance car is like a guitar, you have to tune it to achieve your best operation and pull ahead of the competition.

Never tested the intake temp drop but had a small block with two plates on a tunnel ram. Instead of purge to atmosphere before staging, I would hit a manual button connected to both soenoids a couple of times. The engine would rev up just like pressing the pedal and in the fall semi humid air, the tunnel ram top would turn white with frost almost instantly and be gone in a couple of seconds. pretty amazing, I thought.